Adjusting to college is at once an exciting and stress-inducing process. One potentially helpful action students can take under stress is to disclose negative feelings to peers, thus enabling interpersonal emotion regulation and social support. However, students vary in their tendency to disclose negative feelings. Through trait data, social network nominations, and experience-sampling data, we explore trait and situational factors that influence students’ likelihood of disclosing stressful events to dorm-mates. For ten days throughout their first quarter on campus, students reported up to three daily stressors, along with the emotional intensity and category for each, and to whom, if anyone, each stressor was disclosed. Academic stressors were most likely to be disclosed and social stressors least likely. Additionally, stressors higher in emotional intensity were more likely to be disclosed. Whereas students experiencing more depression, anxiety, and perceived stress were equally as likely as their peers to disclose negative events, students experiencing greater feelings of loneliness were significantly less likely to engage in self-disclosure. Interestingly, self-disclosure was not found to influence daily changes in mood, affect, or stress. Future research will aim to assess the utility of disclosure over longer timescales. Findings from this exploratory analysis can help inform whether self-disclosure should be encouraged as a potential avenue to buffering stress and improving well-being during the transition to college.
Coming soon!
## # A tibble: 1 x 3
## mean_stressors sd_stressors count_stressors
## <dbl> <dbl> <int>
## 1 12.5 7.66 2294
Emotional intensity of reported stressors does not vary significantly by category.
## singular fit
## # A tibble: 16 x 8
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high group
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <chr>
## 1 (Interc… 0.849 0.147 5.77 7.92e- 9 0.561 1.14 fixed
## 2 EmoRati… 0.354 0.0948 3.73 1.93e- 4 0.168 0.539 fixed
## 3 Cat_Soc… -1.09 0.166 -6.61 3.77e-11 -1.42 -0.770 fixed
## 4 Cat_Hea… -0.636 0.142 -4.47 7.93e- 6 -0.914 -0.357 fixed
## 5 Cat_Fin -1.29 0.618 -2.09 3.66e- 2 -2.50 -0.0803 fixed
## 6 Cat_Job -1.01 0.402 -2.50 1.23e- 2 -1.80 -0.219 fixed
## 7 Cat_Oth… -0.596 0.220 -2.71 6.72e- 3 -1.03 -0.165 fixed
## 8 EmoRati… -0.145 0.162 -0.899 3.68e- 1 -0.462 0.171 fixed
## 9 EmoRati… -0.0444 0.142 -0.313 7.55e- 1 -0.323 0.234 fixed
## 10 EmoRati… -1.13 0.772 -1.46 1.45e- 1 -2.64 0.388 fixed
## 11 EmoRati… -1.13 0.469 -2.40 1.63e- 2 -2.05 -0.208 fixed
## 12 EmoRati… -0.555 0.201 -2.77 5.69e- 3 -0.948 -0.162 fixed
## 13 sd_(Int… 0.758 NA NA NA NA NA Day.…
## 14 sd_Cat_… 0.536 NA NA NA NA NA ID
## 15 sd_(Int… 1.46 NA NA NA NA NA ID.1
## 16 sd_Cat_… 0 NA NA NA NA NA Dorm
Students are most likely to disclose academic stressors to their peers and are slightly more likely than chance to disclose health-related stressors. Interestingly, students are slightly less likely than chance to disclose social stressors. Students are also more likely to disclose stressors that are higher in emotional intensity.
## # A tibble: 5 x 8
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high group
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <chr>
## 1 (Intercep… 0.389 0.109 3.56 3.73e-4 0.175 0.604 fixed
## 2 EmoRating… 0.189 0.0503 3.76 1.68e-4 0.0906 0.288 fixed
## 3 Lonelines… -0.739 0.310 -2.38 1.72e-2 -1.35 -0.131 fixed
## 4 CloseFrd_… 0.181 0.0672 2.69 7.15e-3 0.0490 0.312 fixed
## 5 sd_(Inter… 1.22 NA NA NA NA NA ID
Students who experience more loneliness are less likely than their peers to disclose stressful events, regardless of the objective number of friendships the student reports having. Trait anxiety, depression, and perceived stress were also tested in separate models, but none emerged as significant predictors of disclosure.
Does disclosure predict same-day aggregate wellbeing?
## # A tibble: 3 x 7
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 (Intercept) -0.0651 0.0310 -2.10 3.60e- 2 -0.126 -0.00427
## 2 disclosure_rati… -0.00705 0.0298 -0.236 8.13e- 1 -0.0655 0.0514
## 3 EmoRating_day_m… -0.0647 0.00817 -7.92 6.19e-15 -0.0807 -0.0487
Does disclosure predict same-day satisfaction with day?
## # A tibble: 3 x 7
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 (Intercept) -0.0187 0.0296 -0.633 5.27e- 1 -0.0767 0.0393
## 2 disclosure_rati… -0.0640 0.0284 -2.25 2.45e- 2 -0.120 -0.00823
## 3 EmoRating_day_m… -0.0847 0.00779 -10.9 3.92e-26 -0.0999 -0.0694
Does disclosure predict same-day loneliness?
## # A tibble: 3 x 7
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 (Intercept) -0.00148 0.0309 -0.0480 9.62e-1 -0.0620 0.0591
## 2 disclosure_ra… -0.0621 0.0297 -2.09 3.64e-2 -0.120 -0.00393
## 3 EmoRating_day… 0.0497 0.00814 6.10 1.52e-9 0.0337 0.0656
## # A tibble: 3 x 7
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 (Intercept) -0.00148 0.0309 -0.0480 9.62e-1 -0.0620 0.0591
## 2 disclosure_ra… -0.0621 0.0297 -2.09 3.64e-2 -0.120 -0.00393
## 3 EmoRating_day… 0.0497 0.00814 6.10 1.52e-9 0.0337 0.0656
Does disclosure predict same-day positive affect?
## # A tibble: 3 x 7
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 (Intercept) -0.0231 0.0307 -0.753 4.52e- 1 -0.0834 0.0371
## 2 disclosure_rati… 0.00794 0.0295 0.269 7.88e- 1 -0.0499 0.0658
## 3 EmoRating_day_m… -0.0630 0.00807 -7.81 1.41e-14 -0.0789 -0.0472
Does disclosure predict same-day negative affect?
## # A tibble: 3 x 7
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 (Intercept) 0.0191 0.0311 0.616 5.38e- 1 -0.0418 0.0801
## 2 disclosure_rati… -0.00358 0.0299 -0.120 9.05e- 1 -0.0622 0.0550
## 3 EmoRating_day_m… 0.0596 0.00818 7.29 6.11e-13 0.0436 0.0757
Does disclosure predict same-day stress?
## # A tibble: 3 x 7
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 (Intercept) 0.0276 0.0302 0.914 3.61e- 1 -0.0316 0.0868
## 2 disclosure_rati… -0.0158 0.0290 -0.546 5.86e- 1 -0.0727 0.0411
## 3 EmoRating_day_m… 0.0795 0.00795 10.00 1.59e-22 0.0639 0.0951
Students’ perceived loneliness and their satisfaction with day are lower on days when they disclose a higher proportion of their stressors to peers, regardless of the magnitude of stress they experienced that day.
Does disclosure predict next-day aggregate wellbeing?
## # A tibble: 3 x 7
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 (Intercept) -0.0640 0.0344 -1.86 6.30e- 2 -0.132 0.00348
## 2 disclosure_rati… 0.0420 0.0330 1.27 2.03e- 1 -0.0228 0.107
## 3 EmoRating_day_m… -0.0605 0.00896 -6.76 2.53e-11 -0.0781 -0.0430
Does disclosure predict next-day satisfaction with day?
## # A tibble: 3 x 7
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 (Intercept) -0.0266 0.0328 -0.812 4.17e- 1 -0.0909 0.0377
## 2 disclosure_rati… 0.0695 0.0314 2.21 2.73e- 2 0.00778 0.131
## 3 EmoRating_day_m… -0.0878 0.00853 -10.3 1.51e-23 -0.105 -0.0711
Does disclosure predict next-day loneliness?
## # A tibble: 3 x 7
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 (Intercept) -0.0201 0.0343 -0.587 5.57e-1 -0.0875 0.0472
## 2 disclosure_rati… -0.0370 0.0329 -1.12 2.61e-1 -0.102 0.0276
## 3 EmoRating_day_m… 0.0465 0.00895 5.19 2.60e-7 0.0289 0.0641
Does disclosure predict next-day stress?
## # A tibble: 3 x 7
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 (Intercept) 0.0595 0.0333 1.79 7.42e- 2 -0.00584 0.125
## 2 disclosure_rati… -0.0502 0.0319 -1.57 1.16e- 1 -0.113 0.0124
## 3 EmoRating_day_m… 0.0846 0.00866 9.76 1.91e-21 0.0676 0.102
Does disclosure predict change in aggregate wellbeing?
## # A tibble: 3 x 7
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 (Intercept) -0.0985 0.0364 -2.70 6.98e- 3 -0.170 -0.0270
## 2 disclosure_rati… 0.0898 0.0350 2.57 1.04e- 2 0.0212 0.158
## 3 EmoRating_day_m… -0.0840 0.00949 -8.86 4.36e-18 -0.103 -0.0654
Does binary disclosure predict change in aggregate wellbeing?
## # A tibble: 3 x 7
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 (Intercept) 8.90e-4 0.0449 0.0198 9.84e- 1 -0.0872 0.0890
## 2 disclosure_rati… -1.74e-1 0.0644 -2.71 6.90e- 3 -0.301 -0.0480
## 3 EmoRating_day_m… -7.78e-2 0.00874 -8.91 2.89e-18 -0.0950 -0.0607
The relationship between disclosure and daily wellbeing is not moderated by trait loneliness for any of the “negative” measures of wellbeing. This suggests that students high in trait loneliness may still benefit from disclosing their stress to peers.
## # A tibble: 3 x 7
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 (Intercept) -0.0132 0.0461 -0.287 7.74e- 1 -0.104 0.0772
## 2 disclosure_rati… -0.110 0.0661 -1.66 9.69e- 2 -0.239 0.0199
## 3 EmoRating_day_m… -0.0609 0.00896 -6.80 1.90e-11 -0.0785 -0.0434
Does perceived responsiveness moderate the relationship between disclosure and daily loneliness?
## # A tibble: 5 x 7
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 (Intercept) -0.00201 0.0309 -0.0649 9.48e-1 -0.0627 0.0587
## 2 disclosure_rati… -0.0616 0.0297 -2.07 3.86e-2 -0.120 -0.00323
## 3 Responsive_Tota… 0.00913 0.0305 0.299 7.65e-1 -0.0507 0.0690
## 4 EmoRating_day_m… 0.0497 0.00815 6.09 1.58e-9 0.0337 0.0657
## 5 disclosure_rati… -0.00986 0.0303 -0.325 7.45e-1 -0.0693 0.0496
Does perceived responsiveness moderate the relationship between disclosure and daily negative affect?
## # A tibble: 5 x 7
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 (Intercept) 0.0192 0.0311 0.618 5.37e- 1 -0.0418 0.0802
## 2 disclosure_rati… -0.00572 0.0299 -0.191 8.48e- 1 -0.0644 0.0529
## 3 Responsive_Tota… 0.00793 0.0307 0.258 7.96e- 1 -0.0523 0.0681
## 4 EmoRating_day_m… 0.0594 0.00818 7.26 7.74e-13 0.0433 0.0754
## 5 disclosure_rati… 0.0503 0.0305 1.65 9.94e- 2 -0.00954 0.110
Does perceived responsiveness moderate the relationship between disclosure and daily stress?
## # A tibble: 5 x 7
## term estimate std.error statistic p.value conf.low conf.high
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 (Intercept) 0.0275 0.0302 0.910 3.63e- 1 -0.0318 0.0868
## 2 disclosure_rati… -0.0172 0.0291 -0.592 5.54e- 1 -0.0742 0.0398
## 3 Responsive_Tota… 0.00783 0.0298 0.263 7.93e- 1 -0.0507 0.0663
## 4 EmoRating_day_m… 0.0793 0.00796 9.97 2.15e-22 0.0637 0.0949
## 5 disclosure_rati… 0.0329 0.0296 1.11 2.67e- 1 -0.0252 0.0910
The relationship between disclosure and daily wellbeing is not moderated by perceived responsiveness for any of the “negative” measures of wellbeing. This suggests that students high in trait loneliness may still benefit from disclosing their stress to peers.